US urges Daimler to start an investigation over Mercedes’ diesels

The US Department of Justice has asked Daimler to review its certification and admissions process related to exhaust emissions in the United States.

On April 15, US authorities have requested Daimler to urgently review its emissions certifications, prompting the automaker to start an internal investigation into the matter. Similar to Germany, the United States regulators have begun to review all light-duty diesels in the country, following Volkswagen’s disclosures over the emissions cheating device. “Daimler is cooperating fully with the authorities and it will consequently investigate possible indications of irregularities and of course take all necessary actions,” the automaker said in a statement. “The company’s experience with the US authorities has clearly shown that a conservative communication supports the constructive dialogue with the authorities.”

The inquiry request also comes after Mercedes US owners filed several lawsuits claiming that their diesel cars were likely to have a similar defeat device to the one used by Volkswagen, as new tests revealed emissions higher than the legal limits on Mercedes BlueTEC models. “The fact that Mercedes passed the dynamometer test in all tests, but failed the real world test, is suggestive that like VW, Mercedes is implementing a ‘defeat device’,” the law firm representing the owners said in its most recent complaint. Daimler promptly responded to the allegations, saying that “the class actions are considered to be without merit and Daimler will defend itself against them with all available legal means.”